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*  Mr  41 

JOHN  STEWART 

Missionary  to  the  Wyandots 


REV.  N.  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.D. 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE  METHODIST; 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

RTNDGE  LITERATURE  DEPARTMENT 

150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


PRICE  FIVE  CENTS 


•%  ' 


LIBRARY-  Os-  i 

__  ,  *  *  P  ^  ft  SJ  S"|i 

n-H 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


EVANSTON,  ILLINOIS.^, 


'♦  '*♦ 


JOHN  STEWART 

Pioneer  Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
By  N.  B.  C.  Love,  D.D. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  its  organiza¬ 
tion  in  1773  was  missionary  in  its  spirit.  It  made 
continuous  efforts  towards  the  conversion  of  the  whites 
and  blacks,  but  the  red  fmen/*of  ,.thetforest  were  passed 
by.  The  minutes  of  the  annual  conferences,  at  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  last  century,  reported  in  separate  columns 
the  numbers  of  whites  and  blacks  in  each  society,  but 
no  figures  for  the  Indians. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  aggressive  in 
the  older  States  and  passed  into  the  Northwest  Ter¬ 
ritory  and  the  greater 
West  and  South.  In  the 
providence  of  God  John 
Stewart  was  the  apostle 
to  the  heathen  Wyan- 
dots,  and  the  founder  of 
the  first  Methodist  Epis¬ 
copal  Mission  among  the 
heathen. 

Before  the  advent  of 
Stewart  the  most  cruel 
and  bloody  practices  ob¬ 
tained  among  the  Wyan- 
dots.  In  this  respect 
they  were  not  different 
from  the  other  Indian 
tribes  of  the  Northwest. 
The  burning  of  Col. 
Crawford,  when  a  pris¬ 
oner,  is  evidence  of  this. 
Even  the  women  and  children  participated  in  torturing 
him.  We  need  not  repeat  the  story  here.  The  Wyan- 
dots  were  the  leaders  in  this  savage  deed.  Between- 
the-Logs,  it  is  claimed,  was  a  participant,  and  such 

o 

J 


An  Apostle 
to  the 
Wyandots 


Co-operation 
of  two 
Bishops 


Stewart’s 

Conversion 


were  the  people  to  whom  Stewart  carried  the  gospel 
of  love  and  peace. 

The  Wyandots  for  a  long  period  stood  politically  at 
the  head  of  an  Indian  Federation  of  tribes  and  so  were 
recognized  by  the  United  States  Government  in  the 
treaties  made  with  the  Indians  of  the  old  Northwest 
Territory. 

The  names  of  chiefs  of  the  Wyandot  nation  appear 
first  and  prominently  on  the  treaty  made  at  Greenville 
in  1795  between  the  Government  and  the  Indians, 
Gen.  Wayne  acting  for  our  Government. 

While  the  itinerant  Bishops  Asbury  and  McKendree 
and  their  worthy  helpers  were  denied  the  honor  of  in¬ 
augurating  the  great  missionary  movement  among  the 
heathen,  they  are  to  be  honored  for  their  unselfishness 
in  giving  their  co-operation  and  support  to  John 
Stewart,  an  humble  mulatto  layman,,  who  had  been  con¬ 
verted  through  their  preaching,  and  whom  they  recog¬ 
nized  as  having  received  the  call  of  God. 

John  Stewart’s  parents  were  free  people  of  color 
who  resided  in  Powhattan  County,  Va.  They  were  Bap¬ 
tists,  and  of  good  repute.  John  went  to  winter  school 
while  a  boy  at  home,  and  was  more  favored  in  this  than 
many  negro  boys.  While  in  his  early  manhood  he 
learned  the  dyer’s  trade  and  earned  some  money,  but 
a  highwayman  robbed  him  of  all.  The  fear  of  destitu¬ 
tion  worried  him,  for  he  felt  that  to  be  poor  was  to  be 
in  disgrace,  and  he  purposed  to  commit  suicide.  Hesi¬ 
tating  in  this,  he  drank  intoxicants  to  drown  his  sorrow, 
until  a  kind  Christian  friend  persuaded  him  to  desist 
and  reform.  Although  failing  several  times  in  his 
efforts,  he  at  last  succeeded. 

He  listened  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  by  the 
Methodists  and  was  converted.  Finding  no  Baptist 
Society  convenient,  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Epis¬ 
copal  Church.  Here  he  was  at  home.  The  prayer  and 
class  meeting  were  delightful  to  him,  and  all  his  preju¬ 
dices  against  the  Methodists  gave  way.  He  also  pros¬ 
pered  in  business  and  saved  some  money.  The  grand- 


4 


father  of  Bishop  McCabe  was  his  class  leader  and  per¬ 
sonal  friend. 

Stewart  has  been  described  to  me  by  two  pioneers 
who  knew  him  well.  He  was  a  light  mulatto,  about 
five  feet,  eight  inches  high,  weighing  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  pounds;  well  formed,  erect  in  carriage,  easy 
and  graceful  in  movement.  His  features  were  more  Eu¬ 
ropean  than  African.  He  had  a  tenor  voice,  and  was 
gifted  in  song. 

He  often  went  into  the  fields  or  forests  to  meditate, 
to  study  the  Bible  and  to  pray.  One  Sabbath  evening 
he  was  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  by  the  side  of  a  rivulet 
that  ran  into  the  Ohio,  when  a  voice  from  the  sky 
seemed  to  say  to  him  in  audible  tone,  “  Thou  shalt  go  to 
the  Northwest  and  declare  my  counsel  plainly.”  As  he 
listened  and  looked,  a  peculiar  halo  appeared  to  fill  the 
Western  sky.  This  summons  was  repeated.  The  first 
was  in  the  voice  of  a  man,  the  second  that  of  a  woman. 
That  he  was  honest  in  the  thought  of  this  calling  there 
need  be  no  doubt. 

A  deep  impression  was  made  on  his  astonished  mind. 
He  had  no  thought  of  preaching;  he  felt  he  would  obey 
fully  by  teaching  and  exhorting,  but  when  a  friend  told 
him  he  was  called  to  preach  he  rebelled,  feeling  he  was 
not  prepared  nor  worthy.  He  resolved  to  go  to  Ten¬ 
nessee,  but  sickness  came  to  him,  and  for  awhile  his  life 
was  despaired  of,  but  finally  recovering,  the  impression 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  go  to  the  Northwest  was  intensi¬ 
fied. 

The  Northwest,  beyond  a  fringe  of  settlements,  was 
a  vast  illimitable  wilderness,  occupied  by  savage  beasts 
and  as  savage  men.  He  resolved  to  go,  not  for  gain, 
nor  for  fame,  nor  for  pleasure,  but  to  save  souls  from 
the  bondage  of  heathen  darkness.  The  risks  were  many, 
but  he  felt  that  an  unseen  hand  was  over  him.  Starting 
on  his  journey,  he  knew  not  whither  he  went  any  more 
than  Abraham  of  old.  His  friends  tried  to  persuade 
him  not  to  go,  and  having  started,  those  whom  he  met 
in  the  settlements  also  tried  such  persuasion,  or  laughed 

5 


A  Summons 
to  Service 


A  Journey 
into  the 
Wilderness 


JOHN  STEWART  LISTENING  TO  THE  “  VOICE  ”  WHICH 
CALLED  HIM  TO  PREACH  TO  THE  WYANDOTS. 

From  a  painting  by  Rev,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  D,]?, 


6 


at  his  folly,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  red  men  of  the 
forest,  neglected  by  the  Government  and  despised,  feared 
and  hated  by  the  frontiersmen,  were  upon  his  mind.  He 
believed  they  were  dear  to  the  heart  of  Jesus. 

He  went  on,  keeping  towards  the  Northwest,  wading 
streams,  camping  alone  at  night,  unarmed  in  the  pri¬ 
meval  forests,  enduring  hunger  and  many  other  hard¬ 
ships.  After  the  severe  toil  of  days  and  exposure  of  nights, 
he  came  to  the  village  of  the  Delawares  —  on  the  head¬ 
waters  of  the  Sandusky  River.  The  Indians  extended 
to  him  the  hospitality  of  their  cabins.  Here  he  held 
religious  worship,  singing,  praying  and  telling  the  story 
of  the  dying  love  of  Jesus  until  late  at  night,  then,  re¬ 
tiring,  he  fell  asleep,  feeling  that  his  mission  was  ac¬ 
complished  and  that  he  would  start  on  his  homeward 
journey  in  a  day  of  two.  With  the  dawn  of  the  morn¬ 
ing,  however,  he  awoke  and  heard  an  inward  voice  tell¬ 
ing  him  to  go  farther.  Having  inquired  the  way,  he 
started  again  on  his  pilgrimage. 

The  first  afternoon  lie  came  to  the  cabin  of  a  white 
family  and  was  refused  admittance  by  the  wife  until  the 
return  of  her  husband.  Upon  the  husband’s  arrival, 
while  supper  was  preparing,  Stewart  sang  some  sweet 
songs,  which  charmed  the  backwoodsman  and  his  family. 
He  offered  to  hold  services  at  night,  and  the  boys  were 
sent  post  haste  by  the  father  to  the  few  residents  in 
the  vicinity.  Stewart  had  about  a  dozen  in  his  con¬ 
gregation  to  whom  he  expounded  the  Gospel,  and  sang 
Methodist  hymns,  to  their  great  entertainment.  The 
Divine  Spirit  was  in  the  word  and  several  were 
awakened  and  saved.  Among  the  number  was  the  daugh¬ 
ters  of  the  home  in  which  he  was  entertained.  He  tar¬ 
ried  for  several  days,  holding  services  at  night  and 
forming  a  class. 

In  a  few  days  he  found  himself  in  Upper  Sandusky, 
an  entire  stranger,  without  an  introduction  to  any  one. 
He  called  at  the  home  of  William  Walker,  sub-Indian 
agent,  who  thought  him  a  fugitive  from  Slavery,  but 
Stewart  in  a  sincere,  artless  manner  gave  his  history, 


A  Backwoods 
Congregation 


7 


A  Providen¬ 
tial  Helper 


An  Audience 
of  Indian 
Warriors 


including  his  Christian  experience.  Mr.  Walker  was 
convinced,  and  gave  him  words  of  encouragement,  direct¬ 
ing  him  to  the  cabin  of  Jonathan  Pointer. 

Pointer  was  a  black  man  who  had  been  stolen  by  the 
Wyandots  when  he  was  a  child.  He  could  converse 
fluently  in  both  the  English  and  Wyandot  languages. 
Here  was  a  providential  helper  in  opening  an  “  effectual 
door  ”  to  the  Divinely  appointed  missionary  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Pointer  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  Stewart, 
and  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  his  undertaking  by  tell¬ 
ing  him  of  the  efforts  of  the  Roman  Catholic  mission¬ 
aries  and  their  complete  failure.  He  did  not  know  that 
“  the  kingdom  of  heaven  cometh  not  by  observation.” 
Indeed,  Jonathan  Pointer  wTas  as  much  a  heathen  as 
the  Wyandots,  and  was  at  that  time  preparing  to  par¬ 
ticipate  in  an  Indian  dance  and  religious  feast.  Stewart 
wanted  to  accompany  him,  and  Jonathan  reluctantly 
consented.  Stewart  as  a  visitor  sat  in  silence  and  wit¬ 
nessed  the  dance.  When  an  interval  of  rest  occurred, 
he  asked  the  privilege  of  addressing  them  on  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  his  visit  which,  with  their  consent,  he  did,  Jono- 
than  interpreting  and  rather  enjoying  tlie  notoriety  it 
gave  him. 

Here  was  a  scene  worthy  tne  brush  of  the  artist.  The 
first  heathen  audience  of  hundreds  of  Indian  warriors 
in  war  paint  and  gaudy  costumes  listening  to  a  mes¬ 
senger  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  Jonathan, 
too,  in  paint  and  feathers,  while  a  mild-mannered  mulatto 
told  them  the  purpose  of  his  visit.  Here  was  Christian 
courage  equal  to  that  of  Fr.  Marquette  or  any  of  the  old 
Jesuit  Fathers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In  this 
Stewart  evinced  extraordinary  courage  and  faith  in  the 
Heavenly  Father. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  address  he  invited  all  to 
shake  hands  with  him,  and  on  motion  of  Chief  Bloody 
Eyes,  all  passed  by  in  single  file  and  did  so.  An  appoint¬ 
ment  was  made  at  Jonathan’s  cabin  for  the  next  evening, 
and  by  the  light  of  the  cabin  fire  Stewart  preached  his 
first  sermon.  This  was  late  in  November,  181G. 

8 


Stewart  met  the  Wyandots  daily,  Jonathan  inter¬ 
preting  and  saying:  “What  Stewart  says  may  be  true, 
he  did  not  know,  he  only  translated  fairly.”  Many  were 
greatly  interested  and  a  few  awakened.  The  efforts  of 
Stewart  to  secure  the  conversion  of  his  interpreter  were 
unceasing,  and  his  reward  soon  came  in  an  open  pro¬ 
fession  on  the  part  of  Jonathan,  who  became  a  firm,  out¬ 
spoken  believer.  The  soil  of  his  jovial  African  heart 


REV,  JAMES  B.  FINLEY  PREACHING  TO  THE  WYANDOT 
INDIANS  AT  UPPER  SANDUSKY. 

The  black  man,  Jonathan  Pointer,  interpreting. 

was  thin  and  did  not  bring  forth  perfect  and  matured 
fruit.  He  was  naturally  vain  and  sometimes  was  given 
to  drink,  but  God  used  him  as  one  of  “  the  foolish  things 
of  this  world  to  confound  the  wise.”  He  was  demonstra¬ 
tively  pious  in  church. 

The  missionary  met  with  opposition  from  the  whites 
who  sold  “  fire  water  ”  to  the  Indians.  They  maligned 
him,  persecuted  and  tried  to  scare  him  away:  They 
said,  “  he  was  no  minister,  a  fraud,  a  villain,”  and  some 
of  the  leading  chiefs  became  his  enemies.  Dark  days 

9 


Jonathan 
Pointer  Won 


A  Controver¬ 
sy  about  the 
Bible 


I 


Superstitious 

Savages 


First  Con¬ 
verts  among 
the  Indians 


had  come.  The  muttering  of  a  storm  was  heard,  but 
nothing  daunted,  Stewart  sang,  prayed,  and  going  from 
cabin  to  cabin  found  those  who  received  him  and  his 
words  gladly.  The  agent,  William  Walker,  Jonathan 
and  a  few  other  leaders  were  his  friends.  Indians  preju¬ 
diced  by  Catholic  teaching  joined  the  opposition.  His 
Bible,  they  said,  “  is  not  the  true  Bible,”  but  these 
questions  being  left  to  Mr.  Walker,  the  decision  was 
favorable  to  John  Stewart.  Walker  said  there  was  lit¬ 
tle  difference  between  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
Bibles,  one  being  a  translation  from  the  Latin,  the  other 
from  the  Greek  and  Hebrew,  and  both  from  the  same 
original  documents;  and  that  any  layman  called  of 
God  had  the  divine  right  to  preach  and  teach.  Thus 
through  this  layman  and  Government  officer,  Stewart 
was  helped  in  his  work. 

The  Wyandots  were  superstitious,  believing  in  magic, 
witchcraft,  religious  dancing  and  feasting.  These  things 
Stewart  opposed  with  Scripture  and  reason,  and  gave 
any  who  desired  the  opportunity  to  defend  them.  John 
Hicks,  a  chief,  undertook  this.  “  These  things,”  he  said, 
“  are  part  of  the  religion  of  our  forefathers  handed 
down  from  ancient  times,  and  the  Great  Spirit  was  the 
author  of  them,  and  all  nations  have  religions  given 
them,  the  same  being  adapted  to  their  needs.” 

Mononcue,  then  a  heathen,  endorsed  what  Hicks  said. 
He  also  said,  “  The  Bible  is  the  white  man’s  book  and 
Jesus  the  white  man’s  teacher;  they  were  sent  first  to 
white  men,  why  not  to  the  Indians  ?  ” 

Stewart  said,  “  In  the  beginning  Jesus  commissioned 
his  disciples  saying,  ‘  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.’  This  is  as  much 
for  you  as  for  any  others;  we  bring  His  Gospel  to  you 
and  if  you  receive  it  not  you  shall  be  damned.  The 
Bible  is  for  all.  Christ  died  for  all  that  all  might  be 
saved.” 

Stewart  continued  and  Mononcue,  Hicks  and  others 
were  convicted  and  converted.  Many  others  embraced 
the  truth.  These  were  among  his  first  converts.  Having 


\ 


v;  *  A 


IO 


never  been  Homan  Catholics,  their  prejudices  were  easy 
to  overcome. 

Crowds  came  to  Stewart’s  meetings  nightly,  and  the 
work  of  revival  increased.  Many  of  the  younger  con¬ 
verts  became,  under  the  leadership  of  Stewart,  good 
singers.  Stewart’s  solo  singing  was  a  special  attraction 
to  the  unbelievers.  He  always  sang  with  the  spirit  and 
with  the  understanding  also.  While  he  was  not  demon¬ 
strative  nor  vociferous,  he  had  the  gift  of  persuasion 
and  could  logically  impress  the  truth  on  other  minds. 
He  was  not  a  scholar,  but  he  had  a  good  common  school 
education  and  upon  this  foundation,  through  his  inter¬ 
course  with  books,  nature  and  God  he  became  an  effi¬ 
cient  workman.  Several  of  his  sermons  found  in  print, 
although  not  fully  reported,  evince  the  fact  that  he  had 
clear  conceptions  of  theology,  especially  as  relates  to 
man  as  a  sinner,  and  a  sinner  to  be  saved  by  Grace. 

In  February,  1817,  Stewart  felt  that  something 
more  radical  must  be  done  in  order  to  bring  about  the 
conversion  of  those  who  were  under  his  instruction. 
Their  convictions  were  more  of  the  head  than  of  the 
heart.  He  and  those  with  him  prayed  daily  for  the  out¬ 
pouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  their  prayer  was 
granted.  Revival  power  came  upon  these  heathen,  and 
there  was  deep  and  pungent  conviction  for  sins  and  real 
conversions.  This  work  of  grace  aroused  opposition. 

The  heathen  party  arranged  for  a  “  Thanksgiving 
Feast  and  Dance.”  It  was  for  the  whole  Wyandot  na¬ 
tion,  and  so  Stewart  and  his  followers  attended.  Stew¬ 
art  went  with  misgivings;  he  simply  sat  and  looked  on. 
To  his  surprise  his  converts  joined  in  the  dance, 
Mononcue  with  others.  Stewart  had  protested  against 
this,  and  he  went  away  discouraged,  resolving  to  leave 
them.  He  announced  his  purpose  and  preached  his  fare¬ 
well  sermon  the  next  Sunday  from  Acts  20:30.  This 
sermon,  reported  and  printed  by  William  Walker,  the 
writer  has  read.  Earnestly  Stewart  plead  with  the  con¬ 
verts  to  avoid  all  heathen  practices,  and  warned  the 
heathen  present,  kindly  but  earnestly,  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come. 


Deep  Convic¬ 
tions  and 
Real  Conver¬ 
sions 


II 


<V  onion 


ONION 
IH90L0GJCAL 
C&nlNARY 


Stewart 
Returns  to 
Marietta 


A  List  of 
Missionaries 


He  narrated  his  call  to  come  to  them  and  his  labors 
with  them,  and  told  them  they  should  see  his  face  no 
more.  There  was  general  weeping,  even  the  heathen 
joining  in  the  lamentation.  Stewart  then  addressed  the 
chiefs  and  principal  men,  while  silence  reigned  among 
the  large  audience  assembled  in  the  council  house,  as  he 
bade  all  good  bye. 

On  the  suggestion  of  Mrs.  Warpole,  a  collection  was 
taken  for  Stewart,  amounting  to  ten  dollars.  He  left 
and  returned  to  Marietta.  A  few  remained  faithful. 
Heathenism  and  drunkenness  held  full  sway.  Only 
twenty  men  of  the  Wyandot  nation  did  not  drink  intoxi¬ 
cants.  Although  Stewart  was  away  his  heart  was  with 
the  Indians  and  after  only  a  few  months,  to  the  joy  of 
the  Christian  Indians,  he  returned.  During  his  absence 
he  wrote  an  excellent  pastoral  letter  to  the  little  flock. 
Throughout,  his  spirit  and  conduct  evinced  the  unselfish¬ 
ness  of  his  motives. 

With  his  return  came  an  increase  of  zeal,  and  power 
and  increased  success  crowned  his  efforts.  The  work 
enlarged.  It  was  more  than  Stewart  was  able  to  do. 
A  prominent  Methodist  minister  of  another  denomina¬ 
tion  than  the  Episcopal  Methodists,  visited  him  and 
tried  to  have  him  change  his  relationship,  but  it  was  of 
no  avail.  He  sent  an  account  of  “  The  Lord’s  doings  ” 
among  the  Wyandots  to  a  session  of  the  Ohio  Annual 
Conference  and  asked  for  a  helper  who  could  assist  him 
in  preaching  and  administration. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  names  of  the 
missionaries  and  time  are:  John  Stewart,  1816  to  1823; 
James  Montgomery,  1819;  Moses  Henkle,  1820;  J.  B. 
Finley,  1821  to  1827 — ■  part  of  this  time  as  presiding 
elder;  Charles  Elliot,  1822;  Jacob  Hooper,  1823;  J.  C. 
Brook,  1825;  James  Gilruth,  1826-27;  Bussell  Bigelow 
served  as  junior  missionary  in  1827  and  in  1828  was  in 
charge  of  the  mission  and  of  the  district  as  presiding 
elder  with  Thomas  Thompson,  junior  missionary;  B. 
Boydson,  1830;  E.  C.  Gavitt,  1831;  Thomas  Simms, 
1832;  S.  P.  Shaw,  1835;  S.  M.  Allen,  1837;  James 
Wheeler,  1839-1843;  Ralph  Wilcox,  1843. 


12 


The  teachers  in  the  mission  were:  Miss  Harriett 
Stubbs,  Miss  Margaret  Hooper,  Liberty  Prentis,  Miss  E. 
A.  Gibbs,  Asbury  Sabin,  Jane  Parker,  matron,  and 
teacher  of  spinning,  weaving  and  domestic  work,  Mrs. 
Jane  Riley,  L.  M.  Pounds  and  the  missionaries’  wives. 

Up  to  this  time  Stewart  was  an  exhorter,  his  license 
being  signed  by  Father  McCabe,  grandfather  of  Bishop 
Charles  C.  McCabe.  The  license  was  given  while  Stew¬ 
art  was  in  Marietta. 

♦ 

He  now  attended  a  Quarterly  Meeting  on  Mad  River 
Circuit.  Bishop  George  was  present  and  presided. 
“After  a  careful  examination,  'John  Stewart  was 
licensed  as  a  local  preacher.” 

With  money  raised  by  Bishop  McKendree  a  tract  of 
fifty-three  acres  of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  San¬ 
dusky,  near  Harmen’s  Mill,  was  bought  for  Stewart. 
About  this  time  Bishop  McKendree,  in  feeble  health, 
came  to  the  mission  on  horseback,  from  Lancaster,  Ohio, 
and  was  accompanied  by  J.  B.  Finley  and  D.  J.  Soul, 
Jr.  The  Bishop  was  delighted  to  find  “the  Lord  had 
a  people  among  the  Wyandots.” 

The  money  paid  for  the  land  was  collected  by  Bishop 
McKendree  at  camp  meetings  and  conferences.  In  this 
is  not  only  an  official  recognition  but  a  memorial  of 
the  large  heartedness  of  this  pioneer  Bishop. 

About  1820  Stewart  married  Polly,  a  mulatto  girl. 
She  was  a  devout  Christian,  and  could  read  and  write. 
With  her  he  lived  in  his  own  cabin  home  and  with  the 
help  of  his  wife  and  friends  soon  had  enough  from  the 
virgin  soil,  with  some  money  assistance  from  the  con¬ 
ference,  to  live  in  pioneer  comfort. 

Near  the  end  of  1823,  after  a  battle  with  consump¬ 
tion,  the  word  spread  among  the  Christians  that  Stew¬ 
art  was  dying;  a  number  of  Christian  chiefs  and  devout 
men  and  women  were  with  him.  Christmas  and  the 
New  Year  were  at  hand.  Stewart  calmly  exhorted  all  — 
told  how  the  Lord  sustained  him,  and  gave  his  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  power  of  Christ  to  save.  Holding  his  wife’s 
hand,  he  said  to  all,  “  Oh,  be  faithful,”  and  died.  In  an 


A  Local 

Preacher’s 

License 


Marriage  and 
Home  Life 


Stewart’s 

Death 


x3 


An  oft- 

visited 

Grave 


Wyandot 

Mission 

Church 


humble  grave  on  his  land  he  was  buried,  and  for  twenty 
years  thereafter  no  stone  marked  his  resting-place. 

But  he  was  not  forgotten.  His  grave  was  often 
visited,  and  the  Indian  youth  were  taught  to  place 
flowers  on  his  grave  each  spring  and  summer  time. 

In  1843  the  Bev.  James  Wheeler,  missionary,  just 
before  the  Indians  left  for  the  West,  had  Stewart’s  re¬ 
mains  taken  up  and  reinterred  at  the  southeast  corner 


REV.  V.  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.D. 


of  the  “old  mission,”  and  a  free  stone  slab  placed  at  his 
head  with  a  suitable  epitaph. 

This  church  was  erected  in  1824,  the  money, 
$1,333.33,  being  donated  by  the  Government  through 
Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War.  Bev."  J.  B. 
Findley  was  the  instigator  in  securing  this,  and  he  was 
made  the  custodian  of  the  money  pending  its  disposition 
in  the  erection  of  this  church.  The  building  later  went 
into  decay,  and  the  gravestones  were  carried  away  piece- 

14 


15 


WYANDOT  MISSION  CHURCH  IN  RUINS,  UPPER  SANDUSKY,  OHIO,  1884. 


The  Mission 
Restored 


Rededica 

tion 


meal  by  relic  hunters,  until  in  1886  all  vestige  of  them 
was  gone.  A  similar  condition  of  affairs  pertained 
with  reference  to  the  wood  work  and  the  furnishings  of 
the  Mission  Church. 

In  18G0  and  61  when  these  were  in  a  fair  state  of 
preservation,  the  writer,  then  a  young  man  in  his  first 
station,  Upper  Sandusky,  made  a  chart  and  diagram  of 
the  church  and  cemetery,  the  location  of  the  buried  dead, 
with  copies  of  the  epitaphs  on  each  tombstone,  which  he 
preserved.  The  work  of  restoration  was  done  with 
money  —  $2,000  —  donated  by  the  Missionary  Society  of 
M.  E.  Church,  by  order  of  the  General  Conference.  The 
writer,  as  chairman  of  the  restoration  committee,  had 
the  honor  of  using  this  money  in  erecting  once  again, 
out  of  its  ruins,  the  first  mission  church  of  Episcopal 
Methodism,  and  the  first  Protestant  mission  church  in 
the  Northwest  Territory.  When  Charles  Elliott  was 
missionary,  a  log  building  was  erected  in  which  Stewart, 
Elliott  and  others  preached,  and  here  Harriett  Stubbs 
taught  the  children.  It  was  a  temporary  log  building 
and,  so  far  as  we  know,  was  not  used  exclusively  as  a 
church,  and  was  not  dedicated. 

During  the  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Annual  Con¬ 
ference  in  September,  1889,  the  restored  Mission  Church 
was  rededicated.  There  were  several  thousand  more  peo¬ 
ple  present  than  could  get  into  the  house,  so  the  services 
were  held  under  the  old  oak  trees  which  had  sheltered 
the  hundreds  of  Wyandots  who  had  worshiped  in  the 
church. 

Dr.  Adam  C.  Barnes,  P.E.,  was  chairman.  Dr.  P.  P. 
Pope,  grandson  of  Russell  Bigelow,  led  in  prayer.  Ad¬ 
dresses  were  delivered  by  Bishop  J.  F.  Hurst,  Hon.  D.  D. 
Hare,  Dr.  L.  A.  Belt,  Gen.  W.  H.  Gibson,  a  historical 
address  by  the  writer,  and  reminiscences  by  Dr.  E.  C. 
Gavitt,  only  surviving  missionary,  and  a  hymn  in  Wyan¬ 
dot  sung  by  “  Mother  Solomon,”  a  member  in  her  child¬ 
hood  of  the  first  mission  school.  Many  were  present 
whose  parents  or  grandparents  had  been  connected  in 
some  way  with  the  mission. 

16 


*7 


WYANDOT  MISSION  CHURCH,  RESTORED,  1889. 


The  Mission 
Church 
Stewart’s 
Memorial 


Organization 
of  the 
Missionary- 
Society 


The  name  and  work  of  John  Stewart  is  perpetuated 
in  this  restored  and  really  monumental  church,  in  the 
engraved  marble  tablet  in  its  walls,  the  granite  marking 
his  grave,  and  in  each  mission  church  and  mission  school 
of  Episcopal  Methodism  throughout  the  world. 

The  good  work  inaugurated  by  this  humble  but  ex¬ 
cellent  Christian  character  will  never  be  forgotten,  but 
as  the  ages  come  and  go, 
and  the  heathen  world  is 
brought  to  Christ,  his 
name  shall  be  more  re¬ 
membered  and  honored. 

All  admit  that  his  suc¬ 
cess  among  the  Wyan- 
dots  led  to  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in 
1819.  And  was  not  the 
mission  school  at  Upper 
Sandusky  the  genesis  of 
the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  work?  If  so, 
then  all  honor  to  Har¬ 
riett  Stubbs  and  Jane 
Parker  and  their  worthy 
successors. 

Let  the  name  of  Stewart  be  placed  in  the  list  of  the 
world’s  benefactors.  May  his  sublime  faith,  clear  con¬ 
viction  of  the  Divine  presence,  enthusiasm,  endurance, 
patience  and  unselfishness,  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  each 
reader  of  these  pages  the  spirit  of  emulation. 


18 


